What to expect at Puppy School
Our lessons are fast-paced and practicalNo long boring lectures! We teach and demonstrate techniques, then you practise and we coach and praise. Practise is needed at home, but that's easy once you've grasped the basics in class.
Individual attention and coachingWe host small class sizes (no more than 8 puppies) so we can give you the individual attention you need to acquire your puppy training skills.
Contact with other puppy ownersYou will meet other owners in the class whose puppies will be at similar stages and ages as your own. You don't have to interact but some owners do enjoy getting to know other owners in their group.
FREE manual and FREE treatsTo assist you in your learning, we will send you our full colour manual so you can read back through class sessions and find out what you need to practice that week (occasionally, especially after bank holidays, the post lets us down, or if you booked late, you may not get this until after you have started class. Please let your tutor know if you haven't received it and refer, instead, to The Puppy Club pages which have all the same content and more). You will also receive complimentary vouchers from our sponsors in the post and a free packet of treats will be given to you by your tutor in class.
Exclusive access to our FREE Puppy ClubUpon booking onto our classes, you are automatically enrolled into our free & exclusive Puppy Club. This online resource contains helpful Week-by-Week information and videos, just in case you missed any techniques in class or want to learn more. It also has a 'Good Puppy Pages' section, filled with more than 100 pages of advice on common puppy problems.
Training exercises will be explained and clearly demonstrated
At Puppy School, our exercises progress gradually over the six sessions to further your puppy's knowledge & development.
Receive up-to-date, professional advice from kind, experienced puppy experts.
Don’t worry if your puppy goes to toilet in the hall, barks in class or does anything else you would prefer it didn't do! Remember that everyone's puppy is only just learning how to behave, mistakes will happen, and we are here to help you overcome problems and turn them into learning experiences.
Your puppy should be vaccinated prior to attending classes, and cleared by your vet to mix with other puppies
Different vets have differing views on what is the best way to protect against contagious diseases depending on local disease conditions, so it is best to let them make the decision on what is best for your puppy. If you have any doubts before booking, please get in touch with us for assistance.
Please bring your puppy’s vaccination certificate with you when attending the first class. If you forget, please bring it to the second class instead.
It is likely that your puppy will be given medication to kill intestinal worms at the time of vaccination. Puppies usually acquire roundworms from their mothers, and so need a good worming programme to ensure they are free of them. Since these worms can be transferred to humans, please ensure that your puppy has been wormed with a prescription wormer before attending classes.
To reduce the risk of cross-infection, there will be no communal water bowl in class. Puppies get thirsty after travelling, playing and eating treats, so please provide your own water bowl and offer water frequently.
Under the guidance of their parents, we encourage children to attend classes to help them learn how to teach their puppy. If bringing a young child, it is advisable for two adults in the family to attend, or to bring a helper, since concentrating on a new puppy and a child, as well as taking in the lessons, may sometimes be demanding. Please get in touch with us with any questions you may have about your child attending classes with you.
*Please note: we cannot guarantee the attendance of children at every class to help socialise puppies, but we do encourage families with children to bring them to class to learn how to train their puppy and to interact positively with other puppies in the class*
Please make sure your puppy is wearing a plain buckle collar, with cloth or leather lead or a well-fitting harness (Perfect Fit and Mekuti harness are recommended). No chain collars or leads, head collars or retractable Flexi leads please. Please put the collar on a few days before coming to classes so that your puppy is already used to it before attending.
Please bring your own treats every week. These should be small so your puppy does not become full too quickly. Pieces about the size of a small pea are best. There are plenty of tasty treats on the market that can be cut up into small pieces. Soft, smelly meaty treats are usually more acceptable than dry, hard treats, but some puppies will work well for the dry kibble food they are usually fed.
If you are introducing new foods, be careful not to feed too much and upset their digestion. Feed gradually increasing amounts in the days leading up to the first class so they get used to it slowly. Use whatever treats work best for your puppy. You may find that, after a few weeks, your puppy begins to lose interest in working for familiar treats. For this reason, it is best to vary the treats from week to week.
Some puppies work harder for a game with a toy than for food. Please bring your puppy’s favourite toy with you each week so that you can use it as a reward in training and as a way to attract attention when needed. Soft toys that can be bitten and tugged are best. Please avoid squeaky toys and toys that roll as these can cause a distraction for other puppies.
Please bring a towel, blanket or a small piece of bedding for your puppy to relax on during demonstrations and handling exercises. Bringing blankets from home to classes with you each week will also help the puppies settle as it smells familiar to them.
We have no communal water bowl in class so please bring your puppies own water bowl and bottle of water for them each week.
Your puppy should be vaccinated prior to attending classes, and cleared by your vet to mix with other puppies. Different vets have differing views on what is the best way to protect against contagious diseases depending on local disease conditions, so it is best to let them make the decision on what is best for your puppy. If you have any doubts before booking, please get in touch with us for assistance.
Please bring your vaccination certificate for your tutor to see on week one of your course so we can ensure all puppies are appropriately vaccinated.
Please bring your puppies brush along with you on week 3 of our course for help our grooming and handling behaviour exercise
Please wear comfortable low-heeled footwear (in case you accidently tread on your puppy!) and bring an extra cushion to sit on if required (chairs will be provided). You may be asked to get down low to the ground to work with your puppy but if you need extra assistance, please do let us know.
We will explain what to do if your puppy goes to the toilet in the hall, but please don’t worry if your puppy has an accident, we will be on hand to clear it up for you with Veterinary disinfectant. Please bring a supply of poo bags and clean up after your puppy if they toilet in the area around the venue. You may need to take your waste home with you, but please speak to us in the event that there is a designated bin in the area.
This will give your puppy a pleasant association with being inside.
End these journeys with a walk or a play session.
A smaller space is better than a large one so your puppy can lean against the sides for support.
Remember that your puppy cannot see where the car is going, is not sitting in a seat, and cannot predict when the next corner will be coming up.
Allow your puppy to recover from the journey before class begins.
Most puppies are a little overwhelmed by the first experience of coming to their Puppy School classes. They soon learn to enjoy it and it is a good learning experience for them, but expect a drop in your puppy’s confidence when coming to class for the first time.
For this reason, it is not a good idea to feed your puppy just before the class. It is important that your puppy is not too hungry either, as this will affect their ability to concentrate and it isn't fair to expect them to work when they are very hungry. Feeding a small meal a few hours in advance of the class can help to soothe the appetite and stop any unnecessary frustration.
This will help to ensure that your puppy is in a calm, ready-to-learn mood.
This will allow your puppy to recover from the journey, take a small walk and go to toilet before coming into class.
This will allow your puppy to relax, toilet and be ready for class.
